


Diakko Week Day 3: Rainy Day

by simpleapricot



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleapricot/pseuds/simpleapricot
Summary: This is my response to the Diakko Week day 3 prompt: Rainy DayAkko and Diana have a broom race despite Diana's fears of racing in the rain.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Kudos: 29





	Diakko Week Day 3: Rainy Day

_"The distinction between the natural science of chemistry and the magical science of potions is a subtle one. As best as can be—_ _"_

Diana's eyes stopped scanning the page. She raised an eyebrow in response to some unseen stimulus. After a moment, her expression returned to its practiced neutrality. Her eyes began to follow the text once more.

_"As best as can be discerned, the difference lies in the nature of the ingredients. Potions require ingredients that gain magical properties from some specific event. For example—_ _"_

Diana's gaze shot up from the book. Although her head remained still and she wore an expression as detached as ever, a series of rapid glances around the desk betrayed her concern. They focused on her teacup. Small ripples broke up the surface and spread the reflected candlelight into a series of concentric circles. When her silent examination yielded no results, Diana returned to the page.

_"For example, water collected by a magical creature gains magical properties that can be used in potion making, even though the chemical properties are no different than those of normal_ _—_ _"_

"Akko, would you be so kind as to stop bouncing your leg under the table? It is disturbing my studies, and the tea is going to spill."

The shaking stopped, and the ripples in the teacup began to settle. Just as the image of a solitary candle came back into full view, a shockwave sent tea sloshing over the edge.

"I'm done!" Akko slammed her Astrology book closed to punctuate the exclamation. Diana raised her eyebrows and methodically wiped up the spilled tea.

"Oops...sorry." Akko rubbed the back of her head and gave a few chuckles, although her focus remained squarely on her girlfriend's oft-inscrutable facial expressions. Diana picked up the significantly lighter teacup, took another sip, and set it down back on its saucer with a gentle " _clink_."

Akko released a breath. Had Diana set the saucer down with any force, she might have raced back to her dorm lest she face the stern gaze of a certain tea-less aristocrat.

"So...Diana, do you want to go practice broom riding?"

Akko shifted in her shoes as her girlfriend slowly looked up at her. A few seconds too late, she remembered to bat her eyelashes.

Diana's eyes widened for a moment, and then she released a giggle into her hands. Akko had exaggerated the movement so much that it looked more as though she was trying to get something out of her eyes. A smile settled onto her face.

"Of course, Akko, I would love to."

It would be less accurate to say that Akko's next expression settled onto her face than to explain that it mounted a hostile takeover. Joy overwhelmed her features and a sound raced out of her mouth.

"Yay!"

Diana set about cleaning up her workspace. She returned her books to their proper places, cleaned the remaining ink off her quill, and carefully organized her notes for the day. Akko waited patiently, although one might have noticed that she was tapping her foot the entire time. She would have helped, but after she had placed a potions textbook in Diana's magical numerology section, she was relegated to being a passive observer.

Diana carefully placed her quill back into its case and she turned around to join an expectant Akko, who very nearly jumped for joy at the sight. Hand-in-hand, they walked through the castle with wide grins on their faces. Rather than settle into a rhythm that was comfortable to them both, they seemed to be engaging in an unconscious battle for control of their walking speed. As Akko spoke, their arms would go taut and she would nearly drag Diana along. When Diana replied, Akko would hang on her every word, letting their arms go slack and returning to a more reasonable pace.

"So, Diana what were you studying back there? It seemed pretty interesting to me." The tempo of their footsteps grew a bit faster.

"I was researching the relationship between the natural sciences and magic." The tempo slowed again. "With magic spread throughout the world now, the prospects for unifying magical and medical methods of healing are better than ever. I wanted to broaden my prospects"

"That's amazing Diana!" Up-tempo again. "When I looked over at your paper, I saw something about chemistry, what was that?"

"It was about the difference between chemistry and potions." Down-tempo again. "They were arguing that chemistry and potions differ because potions ingredients gain magical properties because of the way they are collected."

Akko took a moment to consider this idea. Bringing their hands taught again, she opined, "I don't think that's true. Lots of potions only require normal ingredients, like Sucy's mushrooms. Sure, we might use magic in their preparation, but the spells usually just do what can be done with normal equipment. I don't think the use of stirring magic is what makes a potion a potion."

"Perhaps you're right. If that's the case, though, then what is the difference. Do you have any thoughts..." Though neither had noticed it, the two were now walking side-by-side.

* * *

The couple had been so engaged in conversation that they failed to notice the peculiar choices of attire among their classmates. Many wore bright yellow ponchos or carried patterned umbrellas that clashed with the understated colors of their Luna Nova uniforms.

As such, when they stepped out of Luna Nova's grand main entrance, they were more than a little surprised by what they found.

"Rain!" The couple cried out in unison. Their intonations, however, were totally different. Diana was, as one might have expected, upset at the cancellation of their outing, and was wearing a distinctly un-Cavendish-like look of abject disappointment. Akko, on the other hand, had let out an excited yelp. She raced out into the courtyard, leaving her girlfriend behind.

"Yahoo! It's raining" Diana's head turned back and forth to follow the girl as she jumped from puddle to puddle, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her uniform was quickly getting covered with mud. Her revelry was interrupted as she caught sight of her girlfriend standing in the doorway. "Aren't you going to come outside?"

"It's raining, how are we supposed to fly our brooms?"

"What do you mean, it's even more fun in the rain! With the water rushing past your face, you can really feel how fast you're going. It's like being in a typhoon!"

"Flying brooms in the rain is terribly dangerous, don't you know that?" Diana replied with more than a hint of disbelief. "Wait, how do you know what flying in the rain feels like? Did Amanda—"

"Don't worry about that! It's super fun! Or maybe you're too chicken..." Akko mimicked a chicken's wings with her arms. At this point, she was so thoroughly soaked that even this sent little trails of rainwater flying off her elbows.

"I will not give in to such childish taunts." Diana closed her eyes and put on her best "I-am-Diana-Cavendish-and-this-is-below-your-dignity-as-a-student-of-Luna-Nova face."

"Bawwkk! Bawk! Bawk! That sounds like something a _chicken_ would say!" Diana opened an eye, but she stayed where she was. "Besides, don't you want to go on our little date?"

 _That_ seemed to work. Diana stepped out from under the doorframe, effortlessly casting a barrier spell over her head. Akko frowned.

“No! That’s cheating! You have to feel the rain!”

Diana stopped for a moment and sighed. “I see. I suppose I can remove the barrier once we begin our race” Akko retained her defiant expression, and she nodded vigorously.

“OK! Off to the broom shed!”

* * *

By the time the two had arrived at the shed, Akko was completely soaked. Not only had she jumped in every puddle, but the rain had started coming down in buckets. Diana was, of course, completely dry. Diana dismissed her barrier and the two mounted their brooms under the shed’s awning.

“Tia Freyre!”

Immediately, Akko's face lit up. The girl was seemingly always smiling, but this was different. There was a certain relief to it, or perhaps it was a feeling of delight. Perhaps she teared up, but it was difficult to see given that she was still dripping from the rain. Diana saw this look every time they flew, and yet the drop that ran down her otherwise dry cheek was clearly visible. She was so caught up in the sight that she forgot, momentarily, what she was about to fly into.

"Ok! Three laps to the observation tower and back! Three. Two. One. _Go!_ "

The two witches were met with a wall of water. Akko shouted for joy, and her broom sped off towards the tower. Diana, on the other hand, was terrified. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes against the rain, so she was effectively flying blind. It took almost thirty seconds before she was able to place a hand in front of her eyes and squint ever so slightly, only to see a broom and rider far ahead of her. Akko approached the tower, and spun around in an impossibly tight circle, swinging the tail around behind her. She blasted past Diana, showering her with even more rainwater.

"Gotta catch up, slowpoke!"

Diana slowly seemed to be getting the hang of this. As she approached the observation tower, she was able to put her hands down. She circled the tower in a textbook arc, leaning into the wide turn to ensure that she wouldn't lose speed. She poured energy into the bristles and felt a distinct pull against her hands as she accelerated towards the shed. Again, she watched Akko turn around ahead of her, but she was much closer this time.

As she turned into the second lap, Diana's eyes were forced shut again by a gust of wind. Yet, she kept putting more and more energy into the broom, forcing her speed higher and higher.

Without thinking, she shouted "I won't lose!" She once again managed to open her eyes just as they began their second turn. As the two straightened out their brooms, they were neck-and-neck. They locked eyes for just a moment, before focusing again on their goal. Diana pulled away on the second approach to the broom shed, and only widened her lead as the third lap began. As the two girls rounded the observation tower once more, Diana was about ten lengths in front.

Not one to do half a job, Diana didn't relent. She pushed even harder, moving ever faster towards the broom shed.

That's when she saw it. A small figure speeding towards the ground. _Oh no. She can't fall, not now._

" _Akko!_ "

Just as the exclamation left Diana's lips, the figure gracefully pulled up in a perfect arc, passing the broom shed just a length ahead of her, although quite a bit lower.

"Did you see that Diana! That dive was perfect!" Akko exclaimed with more than a hint of pride in her smile. Although a little rattled, Diana reciprocated the girl's grin. The two landed back inside the broom shed. They were both completely drenched. Akko dismounted her broom and quite nearly rammed into Diana, drawing the girl into a tight hug.

"That was so awesome! Did you have fun! Did you!"

Diana affected a pensive expression. "Perhaps I did, but you know what would be more fun?"

A genuinely curious look appeared on Akko's face. After giving her a moment to ponder the question, Diana's expression morphed into a mischievous smirk.

"A rematch."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I am too busy with life to do all the Diakko Week prompts, but I am happy that I was able to get this one out.
> 
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated!


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